How do RAW plug-ins deal with colour temperature?

I've not dealt with RAW yet - but soon to buy my first RAW-option
camera.

When you run the RAW file into Photoshop, and view with the plug-in,
what adjustment options are available? In particular, can you choose to
set a particular (calibrated) colour temperature for the derivative, or
do you just 'tweak' colour with the usual Photoshop controls?

As far as other adjustments are concerned, is it a bit like the limited
options available with 48-bit image files? That is, levels, curves,
cropping and rotating, but no layering until after conversion to 24-bit?

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In article <uOzBTRGBvdD$>,
Alan F Cross <> wrote:
> I've not dealt with RAW yet - but soon to buy my first RAW-option
> camera.
>
> When you run the RAW file into Photoshop, and view with the plug-in,
> what adjustment options are available? In particular, can you choose to
> set a particular (calibrated) colour temperature for the derivative, or
> do you just 'tweak' colour with the usual Photoshop controls?
>
> As far as other adjustments are concerned, is it a bit like the limited
> options available with 48-bit image files? That is, levels, curves,
> cropping and rotating, but no layering until after conversion to 24-bit?

The short answer is, yes, you can set the color temperature.
You get a little more control of other adjustments than photoshop's
"Levels" command, but less than "Curves", no cropping or layering. The
rotation is only by 90 degree increments and only affects the preview
within the plugin.

As you might have guessed, the most useful of these are the WB and the Color
Temperature controls. When you shoot in RAW mode you don't have to worry so
much about getting the exact White Balance setting as you can correct it easily
with the plugin.

On 11-Jul-2003, Alan F Cross <> wrote:
> This assumes that the RAW converter also knows your starting point - how
> is it told? Or is everything relative rather than absolute?
>
> I really want to set a colour temperature figure in my RAW converter and
> get exactly the same result as if I had dialled in the same temperature
> in the camera and saved a JPEG or TIFF. Is this not how it works?

The RAW file includes the camera's setting for the white balance. If the
camera was on auto white balance, the color temperature measured by the
camera will be recorded in the RAW file. The plug-in allows you to use the
camera's value (i.e. "as shot"), pick a color balance (e.g. "tungsten"),
enter a color temperature (e.g. 5500), or do it visually with a slider.
There's an additional 'tint' control, so you can set a color temperature and
then tweak it.

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